Happy Women’s History Month! 🎉
This March, we asked five women at Camunda to do something a little different for our “Meet a Camundi” series: look back before looking forward.
From Johannesburg to Addis Ababa, then Vermont to a small Norwegian town and southern Brazil, they grew up in very different corners of the world. But when we asked them to reflect on where they came from, what shaped them, and what they’d tell their younger selves, something clicked. Their stories are unique, but the thread running through them is unmistakably shared: resilience, curiosity, and a whole lot of “just go for it.”
So grab a coffee (or three rounds of it, if you’re Kidist), scroll through their childhood photos and “Dear younger me” letters, and get to know the women behind the work.
Meet Lynette York
Where did you grow up, and how did that place shape who you are today?
I grew up in a small town just south of Johannesburg in South Africa, in the same house and community all the way through tertiary education. That stability gave me a deep sense of rootedness. When you grow up in one place, you see people through their best and worst moments, and you learn to stay, listen, and work things out rather than walk away.
I was also born into apartheid-era South Africa, a time defined by uncertainty and division. As a child you don’t always understand the politics, but you feel the tension — and then feel it begin to shift. Staying in the same community meant I saw that transformation up close: who was excluded, who started to be included, and how relationships changed over time.
Hearing leaders like Nelson Mandela speak about forgiveness and reconciliation, and watching the idea of the “rainbow nation” take shape in everyday life, left a deep mark on me. It taught me that even people who have been divided can choose to listen, come together, and build something better.
What’s one thing about your culture, hometown, or upbringing that colleagues might find surprising or interesting?
One thing people often find surprising is how non-linear my path into tech has been. I started out in graphic design and studied multimedia, and my first job was leading marketing at a startup. That’s where I fell in love with how software is built and realized I wanted to help create products, not just market them.
I went back to university part-time to study software development. I struggled with the module and even had to retake the exam, the second time while caring for a six-month-old baby. It was exhausting, but it proved to me that I could learn something completely new, switch careers, and keep going even when the timing wasn’t perfect.
What advice would you give your younger self from those early years?
I’d tell my younger self that you’re stronger than you think. You can handle more complexity than you imagine, changing careers, studying part‑time, parenting, and navigating uncertainty all at once.
Also, the “perfect” time rarely exists. If you wait for life to be calm before you try something new, you may never start. And finally, celebrate progress, not perfection. Failing an exam or struggling with a topic doesn’t mean you don’t belong. It just means you’re learning something hard, and that’s often where the real growth is.
Meet Kidist Amanuel
Where did you grow up, and how did that place shape who you are today?
I spent my childhood in Addis Ababa, where “community” isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the actual infrastructure of daily life. Growing up in a culture centered around communal dining taught me early on that nothing significant is ever achieved in isolation. However, my worldview was really shaped by the long, dusty road trips we took from the capital to visit my grandparents in the farther reaches of the country. Transitioning from the energy of the city to the quiet, ancestral landscapes of the highlands taught me how to bridge two different worlds. Those early journeys turned me into a lifelong explorer, and I’ve loved traveling ever since.
What’s one thing about your culture, hometown, or upbringing that colleagues might find surprising or interesting?
People are usually surprised to learn that Ethiopia follows its own calendar, which is about seven to eight years behind the Gregorian one, and our “clock” actually starts at dawn rather than midnight. Another personal twist: despite being from the birthplace of coffee, I’m actually not a coffee drinker. Even so, I was deeply shaped by the “Coffee Ceremony.” In Addis, it isn’t a quick caffeine fix; it’s a three-round social ritual that can last all afternoon. I’ve found that my most important work often mirrors that experience, growing out of the conversations and the community built along the way.
What advice would you give your younger self from those early years?
I would tell that kid sitting in the back of the car on the way to visit the grandparents: “Stay curious, because life will look a lot different than you ever imagined.” Don’t worry about having a perfect map; just keep driving, keep asking questions, and embrace the detours, as they usually lead to the best views anyway.
The Wrap Up
In Part 1 of this series, we’ve covered just two of five journeys from five countries, but here’s one powerful reminder: where you start doesn’t have to define where you end up.
Whether it was learning to navigate career pivots with a baby on one hip, challenging the quiet social codes of a Scandinavian small town, or embracing the detours that come with being a lifelong explorer, these women didn’t wait for the perfect moment. They made their own.
We’re incredibly proud of the women shaping Camunda every day, and we hope their stories inspire you to write your own letter to your younger self. What would you say?
